Or maybe not really. On my first day in London, I decided to explore the stores on Oxford Street. These places are, for the most part, affordable, and filled with familiar names like Marks and Spencer, H&M, Gap and of course, TopShop. But before I get to TopShop (which will be another day), let me tell you about Next. On the website, the store's clothing looked good. There was a reasonable selection of petite sizes, which weren't that bad looking. Imagine my disappointment when I got to the store, which is a flagship, to my understanding. The petite section consisted of a tiny corner on the women's floor (ground/street level) and most of the selection was denim or ugly floral tops. The regular sizes were much better, though I've decided that it's a place I may revisit at another time. There are several stores across the city and the country. In addition to women's and men's fashions, they also sell kidswear and some stores, also home. Maybe we can say that it's J.Crew crossed with Crate and Barrel?
Other stores nearby (i.e. within a 15-20 minute walk) include an Apple store (a huge flagship) as well as Zara Home, which is a Zara-branded Pottery Barn type store. These stores don't exist outside of Europe.
Next time: More on the TopShop flagship!
